May is "Bike Month"

With spring in the air, the city of Yreka, the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors and a coalition of local groups all working to promote cycling and tourism in the community have announced that May is National Bike Month.

With spring in the air, the city of Yreka, the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors and a coalition of local groups all working to promote cycling and tourism in the community have announced that May is National Bike Month.

A recent press release announced, May 13-17 is Bike to Work Week and Friday, May 17 is Bike to Work Day. “Yreka Mayor David Simmen, county supervisor Grace Bennett and the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors urge everyone to bike to work or get out and try cycling for fun, fitness or transportation on the many trails in our area,” stated the release.

On May 7, the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution designating May 2013 as Bike Month in Siskiyou County and recognizing the health and tourism benefits of cycling.

Local volunteers have come together through the Siskiyou County Bicycle Tourism Partnership (SCBTP), the Siskiyou Economic Growth Group (EGG) and in conjunction with the Jefferson Mountain Bike Association (JMBA) to work together to promote and encourage bicycling across all of Siskiyou County. Community members interested in joining the effort can easily get involved by going to the website CycleSiskiyou.com or the Cycle Siskiyou Facebook page.

The local bicycling groups also worked together to have two new bike racks installed at the courtyard on Miner Street in Yreka, across from the chamber of commerce office to encourage and enable more bicycle use in town.

On May 4-5 the International Mountain Bike Association visited Yreka with its crew of trail building experts. They gave a trail building workshop and led a trail building project in Greenhorn Park where a new trail was constructed by IMBA staff and local volunteers, further extending the network of trails available in the park.

Joan Smith-Freeman, one of the leaders of the effort to encourage cycling, stated, “It’s exciting to see communities all over Siskiyou County coalesce under this bike initiative. It’s a great way to enjoy our miles of beautiful scenery, promote our tourism economy and it’s just a great lifestyle.”

Following are some tips that will help you enjoy biking to work more.

• Have bikes checked over by a local bike shop;

• Always wear a helmet to protect from head injuries in the event of a crash;

• Ride in the right-most lane that goes in the direction of travel;

• Obey all stop signs, traffic lights and lane markings;

• Look before changing lanes or signaling a turn (indicate your intention, then act); and

• Be visible and predictable at all times by wearing bright clothing and signaling turns.